Garlic is is one of the most popular spices in the world. Not only is it tasty, but the “stinking rose”, as it’s affectionately known also has many health benefits for the human body.
As the saying goes, “A clove of garlic a day keeps the doctor away”. Of course, since my husband hates garlic, it would also, unfortunately, keep him away. So while we might not want to eat quite THAT much garlic on a daily basis, there are many reasons why we should include garlic in our recipes regularly.
What are the main components of garlic?
- Amino acids
- Minerals: Mainly manganese, potassium, copper, phosporous
- Vitamins: Mainly B6 and Vitamin C
- Allicin
- Quercetin
- Essential Oil
- Sugars
Top Five Health Benefits of Garlic
- Garlic supplementation is known to boost the function of the immune system.
In a study published in Advances in Therapy, researchers found that a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% compared with placebo.
The average length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70%, from 5 days in placebo to just 1.5 days in the garlic group. - For those with high cholesterol, garlic supplementation appears to reduce total and/or LDL cholesterol by about 10-15%.
- Fresh garlic is thought to play a role in preventing food poisoning by killing bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella enteritidis, etc.
- The chemical ajoene found in garlic may help treat fungal skin infections like ringworm and athlete’s foot.
- A recent study showed that less than one clove of garlic a day may cut prostate cancer risk in half, and other research links garlic to a lowered incidence of stomach, colon and possibly breast cancers.
